Sounding mechanism for toy guns and the like



April 1, 1947.

H. DE w. CRISLER SOUNDING MECHANISM FOR TOY GUNS AND THE LIKE FiledSept. 18, 19.45 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR awwmwaw April 9 H. DEWfCRlSLER 2,418,399

SOUNDING MECHANISM FOR TOY GUNS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 18, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 1, 1947 UN ITE'D STATES PATENT OFFICESOUNDING MECHANISMIFORTOY GUNS AND THE LIKE Homer De Witt Crisler,Greensboro', N;

Application September 18, 1945; .SeriaIINo; 617,023

(Cl. it-191)v 2 Claims. 1.

The present invention relates to sounding. mechanisms for toy guns andthe like.

Principal objects of the invention are to provide. amechanism which willbe compact, durable, and-inexpensive to make and assemble, which can be.incorporated in a toy such as a childs gun.

Theinvention provides a device comprising a. train of mechanism whichcan be actuated by a trigger to produce a sound which will simulate thefiring of a gun and which may readily be incorporated in the breech of atoy gun or in any other toy structure where it is desirable to produce aclapping sound each time a trigger or the like is actuated.

An important object of the invention is to provide. a mechanism whichwill produce the desired sound each time the trigger or the like isactuated, so that the necessity of the operator performing someadditional operation to cook the device is eliminated.

Another important object is concerned with providing for an adjustmentof the parts so that the loudness of the sound can be regulated.

General objects are concerned with producing a toy gunwhich will berealistic in appearance andjcan be operated, in the manner of asemiautomatic firearm, to produce a simulatedreport each time thetrigger is pulled.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, a preferred embodiment ofthe invention which has been found entirely satisfactory in actualpractice'is'shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Eigurelisa sideelevational view of a complete t'oy'gun embodying the invention;

Fig. 2is a similar view with the side cover plate removed to show thegun breach cavity and the sound-producing mechanism positioned therein;

Fig. 3 is aside elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the gunbreech portion, showing the parts of the sound-producingmechanism in therelation which they assume when the trigger is pulled toward firingposition;

Fig; 4" is a similar View showing the relation of the parts at theinstant of firing; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the parts in the relation which theyassume when returning to their normal; cocked position.

Referring'to the drawings, the reference numeral l designates'the breechportion of a toy gun haVing also a stock 2 and a barrel 3. The gun maybe madein its entirety from a single block or separate pieces of wood;but of course any other suitable material may b'e'sub'stituted.

The breech portion I is hollowed out, or preferably. out completelythrough, to provide a cavity 4; which is permanently closed at one sidesurfaceof the breech portion (the rear side asseen inall the figures ofthe drawing) by an integral part of thebreech material or, preferab1y,by a permanently; fastened closure. plate of thin. plywood or the like.The shape of the cavity 4-is of: no particular consequence as long as itis capable of housing the working parts of the mecha-- nism andproviding space for their respective movements. To this end thereforethe cavity may be made in the irregular, special outlineshown in thedrawings.

The elements immediately concerned with producing a sound responsive topulling a trigger to fire the gun comprise a sounding anvil 5 and astriker 6 bestmade in the form of a metal button projecting from theforward end portion. of a hammer 1. The anvil is best made in the formof a thin strip of wood mounted in notches formed in the margins of thecavity 4- and bridging an openingB cut through the lowerforward'portion' of the breechso that the sound produced [by impact ofthe striker on the rear surface of the anvil-willpass unobstructedlythrough the opening 8 and be heard clearly and without anymuffling.

The hammer 1 is a lever of the first order having aforward arm 9 whichcarries the striker 6 and having a rear arm l0. Both arms extend oppo'sitely from a fixed pivot pin ll set in a bearing; socket which does notappear in the drawing but which is formed in the base of the cavity 4. Ahammer spring [2 acts under compression be-- tween the forward arm 9 ofthe hammer and the adjacent wall of the cavity 4 to urge the strikerdown against the anvil. It willbe obvious that if the hammer is rocked,clockwise as shown in the figures, and then released, the spring I12acting in tension will cause the striker 6 to hit the anvil with all theforce stored up in the spring [2- so as to produce a clapping sound orreport.

The mechanism for operating the hammer comprises a rocker l3 mounted ona pivot pinl li which is-fixed in a bearing socket which doesnot. appearin the. drawing but which, like the bearing socket for the pivot pin II, is formed in the baseof the cavity 4. This rocker has secured in orto it a trigger it projecting through a slot l6. (Fig. 3) in the lowerportion of the gun breech and extending into a triggerguard IT. A rockerspring is is mounted under. compression between. the. rear side of therocker and the back of the cavity 4, or a movable abutment l9positioned. loosely therein for wobbling sufliciently tokeep the springalways directed more or less axially against the rocker. It will beobvious that the. relationship is such that the spring l8 tends to keepthe rocker I3 rotated clockwise to the limit permitted by engagement ofthe trigger I5with the forward end of the slot it (and/or contact 1s'hgwneatifldn Figs; 3 and 5,,to, provide a pair:

of spaced parallel ears 2| in which is pivoted, on a pin 22, a pawl ordog 23. This pawl is a lever of the first order and includes a forwardarm 24 which is engageable with the rear arm 10 of the hammer 1 andincludes also a rear arm 25 which is connected by a pawl spring 26 tothe rocker. spring to the rear arm of the pawl and a screw 28 securesits other end to the rocker so that the spring is held under tension.The effect is to tend to rotate the pawl clockwise to the limitpermitted by engagement of the screw .21 with the base of the slot 20,so as to project the forward arm 24 of the pawl into engagement with therear arm of the hammer, but this projection of the pawl is yieldable,against the action of the spring 26. I

With the parts normally in the relation shown in Fig. 2, the striker 6of hammer 1 will be held down against the anvil by the spring l2,therocker [3 being held at the clockwise limit of its rotation by thespring l8, and the pawl 23 being held projected to its limit by thespring 26, with the forward arm 24 of the pawl overlying the rear arm Inof the hammer. When the trigger is pulled rearwardly, as in Fig. 3, thepawl engages the hammer and rocks it clockwise to lift the striker fromthe anvil. fhis movement continues until the pawl slips past the reararm of the hammer to release the hammer, as shown in Fig. 4, whereuponthe action of the spring I2 drives the striker into quick engagementwith the anvil, to produce a sound or report which is amplified by thesounding board effect of the cavity 4 and which issues through theopening 8.

' The parts are automatically restored to cocked position by release ofthe trigger. In this movement the spring is turns the rocker clockwise,the pawl is turned counterclockwise as it rubs against the rear arm IUof the hammer, tensioning'the spring 26, all as shown in Fig. 5, untilthe pawl finally slips past the hammer and the parts are restored to therelationship shown in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the length of stroke of the hammer, andconsequently the loudness of the report caused by the striker 6 hittingthe anvil 5, can be varied by adjusting the distance to which the screw27 projects from the pawl 23. With this screw turned fully down into thepawl, as shown in the figures, the pawl is permitted to project amaximum distance from the rocker, and the hammer swings through amaximum stroke to produce a comparatively loud sound. However, if a lessloud sound is desired, the screw 21 can be turned out more or less so asto engage the bottom of the slot 20 in the rocker and reduce thepermissible projection of the pawl, thus causing the pawl to slip pastthe rear arm of the hammer before the hammer has rocked through as greatan'angle. This has the effect of reducing the length of the hammerstroke and correspondingly reducing the loudness of the re-.

port made when the striker impacts the anvil. I consider this animportant feature of the invention because it permits the device to betuned up or down. through a considerable range of loudness to suitvarying conditions of use.

The cavity 4 and the train of mechanism contained in it are covered by aplate 29, shown in Fig. 1, which may be made in the form of a thin sheetof plywod which is removably held against the breech of the gun as byscrews 39. Likethe back or bottom of the cavity 4, this plate\29 isprovided with sockets 3| and 32 for beagring'the fixed pivot pins II andM of the hammer and 15 2.137.357

A screw 2! secures one end of this,

ency of the springs l2 and 18 to distort them or their positions.

The rocker, pawl, hammer, abutment l9, pivot pins, trigger guard andanvil, and even the trigger, may be made inexpensively of small piecesof wood such as scrap material from any hardwood fabricating plant. Allthese parts may be jigsawed by automatic machinery, and the gun body andmetal parts can also be made at little cost. Assembly is obviously asimple matter requiring little labor and no special skill.

All the working elements may be made in stout and substantialproportions, and wear during operation is negligible so that the deviceis extremely durable and should last indefinitely.

It is to be noted that the operating mechanism is adapted to beinstalled in devices other than toy guns, wherever it is desired to makethe production of a clapping sound responsive to the actuation of atrigger or analogous element.

It is believed that the foregoing description makes it clear that astructure producedin accordance with the principles of the inventionattains all the objects and provides all the advantages firsthereinabove set forth.

The mechanism is capable of being modified and altered within the spiritof the invention and within the scope of the broader of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In a sounding mechanism for toy guns and the like, a. sounding anvil,a hammer rotatably mounted adjacent to the anvil, a rotatable rocker, apawl mounted on the rocker for engaging the hammer to rotate the sameaway from the anvil, a spring for biasing the hammer into strikingrelation with the anvil to produce a sound, and means for varying theextent of projection of the pawl from the rocker to adjust the extent towhich the hammer rotates away from the anvil and thereby regulate theloudness of the sound.

2. In a sounding mechanism for toy guns and the like, a sounding anvil,a hammer rotatably mounted adjacent to the anvil, a rotatable rockermember, a pawl member mounted on the rocker member for engaging thehammer to rotate the same away from the anvil, a spring connecting thepawl and the rocker members and urging the pawl member into projectedposition from the rocker member, a spring for biasing the hammer. intostriking relation with the anvil to produce a sound, and a movableabutment element projecting from one of said members and engageable withthe other member to adjust the extent to which the pawl member projectsfrom the rocker.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 Date Number Name 413,975 Smith Oct. 29,1889859,990. Stern 'Julylfi, 1907 447,2i9 'Weeks et al Feb. 24, 1891 929,3l1V Kilgore, July 27, 1809 1,211,370 Newton Jan. 9, i917 Schmid Nov. 22,1938'

